Car-vestibule diaphragm.



W. H. FORSYTH.

-CAR VESTIBULE DIAPHRAGM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5, 1912.

Patented Mar. 18, 1913.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WI LIAM H. FORSYTH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CURTAIN SUPPLY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CAR-VESTIBULE DIAPHRAGM.

roaaaov.

T 0 all whom, it may concern.

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. FORSYTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gar-Vestibule Diaphragms, of which the following is a specification.

In many styles of railway cars it is customary to use extensible diaphragms which are collapsible and accordion-shaped. It is often desirable or necessary to tilt the outer face plate to which the diaphragm is attached in order to obtain access to the buffer mechanism ofthe car. Heretofore, considerable difliculty has been experienced in thus tilting the face plate on account of the fact that when this operation is performed the plaits of the diaphragm are very apt. to become torn;

In the co-pending application of W. Midgley, Serial No. 691,347 filed April 17, 1912, a dia hragm is described in which many of the aults of the-prior construction have been overcome, since provision is Stanley I there made for having at least one. of the plaits in each leg of the diaphragm composed of two separate pieces of fabric, which are attached to each other by means of studs, in the ends of which are placed cotter pins. The disadvantage of this construction is that if, through carelessness, a workman neglects to remove the cotter pins before the outer face plate is tilted, the diaphragm is subjected to considerable pressure and is apt to become torn or otherwise injured.

In my improvedconstruction, I provide at least one of the plaits in each leg of the diaphragm with a slit which extends to the bottom of the diaphragm. The edges of these slits are connected by fastening devices, which are automatically released when the outer face plate is tilted, and one edge of the slit is thereby forcibly pulled from the other edge. In this Way it is impossible for the diaphragmto become torn or injured through the negligence of a workman. These and other advantages of my invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, which represent a preferred embodiment of my improvements, and in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectlon Specification of Letters Patent.

\pplication filed August 5, 1912. Serial No. 713,219.

Patented Mar. 18, 1913.

through the end portion of a car; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section showing the construction of one of the fastening devices.

Toone face of the end wall or post 10 ofthe car is fastened, by means of a metallic strip 11, one end of an inverted U-shaped accordion diaphragm composed of a plurality of inverted U-shaped strips of fabric 12 which are fastened together along their longitudinal edges in any suit-able manner, as, for example, by the binding strips 13. Near the center of the diaphragm, one of the plaits thereof is allowed to remain open at its lower portion,thereby forming the slit 14 between the edges of the fabric 12. To"the edges of the fabric adjacent-to the slit 14 are attached a plurality of fastening devices represented as a whole by 15.

Any suitable type of fastening device the parts of which become separated on the application of a pull exerted on one edge in a direction away from the opposite edge may be used in connection with my device,

but one preferred type of fastening device is illustrated in Fig. 4. This fastening device comprises a shaft ltlhaving a head 17 and an expanded end 18 composed of spring material having therein the slots '19. Engaging the short shaft or shank 16 are the washers 2O which engage opposite surfaces of the fabric 12. The material 12 on the opposite side of the slit 14 is provided with a ring 21, the edges of which are bent over the fabric 12, and thereby the ring is securely held in position. It will now be apparent that whg-n the ed es of the two strips of fabric are separated rom each other, the body 18 of one portion of the fastening device may be passed through the aperture in the ring 21 ,\and the spring material of which this body is composed is thereby compressed. When the parts are brought into the position illustrated in Fig. 4, the spring material of the body 18 expands, and the two strips of the fabric 12 are thereby attached 'to each other; but on the application of a pull on one strip of fabric in a direction awa from the other strip, these strips may rea'ily be separated from. each other withoutdamage.

To the front end of the diaphragm is atta'ched an outer face plate 22 of the usual and well known construction, the end of this face plate cooperating with the bufier mechanism of the car represented as a whole by 2 3.

When it is desired to tiltthe outer face plate 22 into the position represented in dotted lines in Fig. 1, in order to obtain access to the buffer mechanism 23, the edges of the fabric 12 on opposite sides of the slit it are separated from each other on ac-.

' have described without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

l. A car vestibule diaphragm for a single car, each leg of which includes portions separable upon .a substantially vertical plane, and fastening means for holding together the separable portions of each leg,

said fastening means adapted to be automatically released on tilting of that face plate to which the diaphragm is attached, substantially as described.

2. A car vestibule diaphragm of accordion form having a plait in each leg provided with a slit therein, and fastening means for holding together the edges of the material adjacent to said slit, said fastening means adapted to be auton'iatically released on tilting of the face plate to which the diaphragm is attached, substantially as described.

3. A car vestibule diaphragm of accordion form having a'plait in each leg provided with a slit therein, and cooperating fastening means on the edges of the fabric adjacent to said slit, said fastening means adapted to be automatically released on the application of a pull on the fabric on one side of said slit in a direction away from the fabric on the opposite side of said slit, whereby on tilting the face plate to which said diaphragm is attached to give access to the bufier mechanism said plait is automatically opened and tearing thereof is avoided, substantially as descrlbed.

\VILLIAM. H. FORSYTH. VVit-nesses HENRY M. Huxnnr, T. D. BUTLER. 

